Tuesday, May 26, 2015

So 12 days ago, my housemate Montana rescued a rabbit from the middle of the road out in the country. It seemed as if it had been living in the wild for a while, but was pretty calm and mellow. We started calling it Andy, and made phone calls to the vet to figure out what to do. Two days later, it gave birth in Montana's truck. Making it no longer a male, and then a mother of 11. Over the next few days, the number of babies dwindled as we tried to help them all feed. Sometimes, holding the baby over the nipple, just doesn't make it feed, and you have to let them figure out it, and let nature be nature. Montana got pet milk formula and spent many hours with them. In the end, we ended up with 7 little ones.

Over the last 12 days, the bunnies have grown in every dimension, from their fur to their claws. They now have control over their ears, and have opened their eyes (which normally open 10-14 days). A friend who normally photographs babies, brought all her gear over to take some shots of the bunnies. This is what happened:

Monday, May 25, 2015

Man, it's been a while since I've updated the blog. Part of it is busyness, and part of it is, with no world travels going on right now, the life isn't as exciting. It's still pretty damn amazing, but without new countries and cultures to play around in, writing about hanging out at the beach several times a week doesn't quite cut it. Memories of the last year go back to watching a traditional funeral procession in Morocco block the road that my bouncy bus was going on. This time last year, I was gathered with friends in Melbourne watching Game of Thrones every week and enjoying everything that a city of 4 million has to offer.

Time flies, and while each day continues to be good (with a bunch of NBA playoffs these days), it's fun to stop time and think back to all the place I've been in the past. That's half the fun of traveling, is that you store the memories and locations for future thoughts. I can be sitting on the beach, watching the surfers, and all of a sudden I'm back scuba diving with sharks in Indonesia, or hanging with the head roaster of a large coffee company in New Zealand. I can still smell those beans, and remember that the Cuban espresso roast changes over the next couple days, becoming a richer, nuttier flavor that seems almost completely different from when it is first roasted.

Talking with a South African coworker at my current job, I am transported back to hiking Table Mount in Capetown with my sister in 2005. We took a shared rickshaw-like taxi to the start of the trail and enjoyed a hike full of amazing views, drinking from the streams along the way. It felt like such a safe place in nature, and we were surprised to find out later on that the path is known to be dangerous and definitely unsafe for backpackers. But in the moment, when society hasn't told you someplace is not for you, you just enjoy it, soak in the views, breathe in the air and smile.

So, on this Memorial Day 2015 (celebrated in the US by barbeques and a Monday off of work), I hope you can travel back through your memories to past travels, adventures and good times. That's what we live for, to remember the good and keep smiling.